Cà Gai Leo is a familiar name in Vietnamese herbal culture. The plant is identified as Solanum procumbens Lour., with Solanum hainanense Hance appearing as an older synonym in some references.
What does the plant look like?
Cà Gai Leo is a small perennial shrub or climbing plant with branching stems, star-shaped hairs and curved thorns. It produces small flowers and bright red berries when mature.
How is it recognised in Vietnam?
Vietnamese pharmacy references describe the dried above-ground parts of the plant as herbal material. It can be harvested, cut and dried for traditional preparation.
Why is it culturally important?
Cà Gai Leo has a strong association with Vietnamese traditional herbal practice. That history helps explain why it continues to appear in modern herbal products and research projects.
When discussing the plant on a food or tea website, the most responsible approach is to describe its botanical identity, traditional context and research interest without turning historical use into a promise that a modern beverage will treat disease.
Further reading
Tôn Đức Thắng University Faculty of Pharmacy: Cà Gai Leo overview
Research note: This article is for general educational purposes. Traditional use and laboratory or preclinical research do not establish that consuming a tea containing this ingredient will produce a therapeutic effect.